Press Release: Commission files preliminary charges with respect to the membership rule of the VISA association

The Commission's 'Statement of Objections' -- the formal document setting forth the preliminary findings of the Commission probe into the VISA association membership rules -- concerns a rule in the Visa International bylaws. According to that rule, the Visa International Board shall not accept for membership any applicant deemed by the Board to be a competitor of Visa. The Commission is concerned that this Visa membership rule is not applied in an objective and non-discriminatory manner vis-à-vis all applicants for Visa membership. This rule could preclude potential entrants from providing credit card services to merchants. In this area Visa has a strong market position throughout the EEA.